


To Awaken a Singing Android

by peaches2217



Series: The Kyokotta Household [1]
Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Could this... actually have a plotline?, I'm not sure if I'm going that far yet so don't hold me to it, Oliver will probably show up in later chapters, Origin Story, Other, Who Knows?, Will adjust tags as I actually figure out what I'm doing..., could it be?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 23:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peaches2217/pseuds/peaches2217
Summary: ***ON HIATUS until I can find a way to make it not suck.***You never forget the first song you hear, the first breath you take, your first step into a world so unlike the one you were born into. But that world is bigger than a laboratory or a song given to you by a man in a nice suit. No matter how long you live among humans or even other beings like yourself, there will always be so much to learn.





	1. Prologue

_ I still remember the first song I ever heard. _

_ I don’t remember much about the song itself. I don’t remember the words, I don’t remember the voice that sang it, I don’t even remember the melody. I just remember the most beautiful sound filling the air, surrounding me, caressing me like the sweetest spring breeze. It lit the monochrome world around me. Suddenly everything was in vivid color, exploding like fireworks. _

_ I reached my hand out to touch the song. It gathered into my palm, manifesting as an orb of pure light. I didn’t understand it. But I felt at peace. I felt I had a purpose. _

_ In that moment, I smiled my first smile. I sang my first song. _

_ I opened my eyes for the first time. _

_ I was alive. _


	2. A Deal

“So it’s finally time, huh?”

Meiko did not sound the least bit happy.

Kaito offered her a sympathetic and (hopefully) comforting smile. “At least we had a little time to ourselves.”

Meiko just sighed and snatched the letter from him, scouring over it herself. Indeed. They wouldn’t be alone much longer.

The past couple of months had been wonderful. For all the shady business he’d pulled and the general lack of remorse he’d shown for it, Master had come through on his end of the deal. He’d made up for what he’d done to them — to Meiko, mostly — as much as he could, giving them a massive house in a sleepy town far from the chaos of Tokyo. Even the stipend he granted them was far more than he’d claimed it would be. For the first time in a very long time, they didn’t have to work from dawn to dusk. They didn’t have to count every last yen, eat cheap ramen for every meal, or combat the summer heat with nothing more than folding fans and open windows.

Each day they were free to explore their new home and their new town of Kyokotta, stroll through the park, poke around in the plethora of small but charming shops. Every night, they slept on a massive, luxurious bed, comfortably cool and free from obnoxiously noisy neighbors. Kyokotta had exactly one “fancy” restaurant, and the waitstaff knew the two of them by name already.

Kaito smiled down at his blue-painted nails. Now that they had the money, he wanted to make up for lost time. He’d done everything in his power to spoil his Meiko rotten. They’d been on more dates these past two months than they’d been on in the two years since reuniting. She had a wardrobe full of brand new clothes and a cabinet full of high-end liquors and a newfound taste for wagyu.

And Kaito, in turn, gained all he had ever wanted: as much time with her as his heart desired.

Of course, none of that had been given out of the kindness of Master’s heart. They’d always known it. They’d just done their best to keep it at the backs of their minds while they enjoyed their new life together.

Master had given them everything they needed and more.

Now it was time to fulfill their end of the deal.

Sighing again, Meiko tossed the letter onto the counter. It almost slid off into the floor. “I don’t like this, Kaito.”

“I know.” He smiled wider, praying some of his forced optimism would catch on. “But it won’t be so bad! It’s a new adventure! We play babysitter for a few years, then we take our money and we’re on our way. We might even grow as people and make some new friends in the process!”

It didn’t work. Meiko plopped onto one of the stools and slumped over the kitchen island, resting her forehead in her palm. “...Were we really that bad off?” she mumbled, and Kaito wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself. “Was it so bad we had to sell our souls for all of this?”

Kaito opened his mouth, but he shut it just as quickly. This wasn’t the time to remind Meiko that she’d made this decision. They had talked about it together, but Kaito ultimately left the final say up to her, and this was what she had chosen. But he wasn’t in the mood to make her feel even worse.

“Hey.” He came around behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, leaning against her for a proper hug. “It’s gonna be okay. We didn’t sell our souls. We’re still the same people we’ve always been. And we’re gonna get through this together.”

Meiko grumbled.

“We’ve got three more days. We can shut everything out tomorrow and have one more KaiMei Day.”

This promise placated her, at least a little bit.

Kaito waited until she was asleep that night to sneak back into the kitchen. The letter was still laying where Meiko had tossed it. He flicked on the light and scanned through it once more.

_ Meiko and Kaito, _

_ I am pleased to learn you’ve been enjoying blah blah blah blah blah. I’m glad we were all able blah blah blah. _

_ I am equally pleased to announce that your first protege will be arriving on August 31st. She should be instantly recognizable by her mint-colored hair. As for the technicalities, her vocal range is blah blah blah blah and she’s most suited to singing blah blah and blah genres. She seems a very pliable learner so far, and she especially excels at blah blah blah blah blah blah. _

_ In regards to her weaknesses, while I strongly believe she’s the most advanced Vocaloid I’ve created yet, I’ve noticed that she seems to struggle ever so slightly with blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah— _

Kaito glanced up at the clock hanging over the oven.

00:24, August 29th.

He’d take Meiko wherever she wanted to go, insist she let him buy her whatever she wanted. Then they’d spend the 30th getting the new arrival’s room prepared, and on the 31st they’d don their promotional outfits for the first time in over two years and once again become part of the world they had been created for. The world they thought they’d left behind for good.

Maybe they should make a cake for her. Have an all-out welcoming party. The first days of a Vocaloid’s life were always some of the most confusing. He’d had little guidance. Meiko had none. And this new arrival couldn’t do what Kaito had done if she became disillusioned in the future. She had nowhere to run, no one to run to. The least they could do was…

“I woke up and you weren’t there.”

Kaito dropped the letter and turned to face the kitchen entryway.

Meiko didn’t look upset, at least not at him. She was smiling, head cocked, arms crossed over her bare chest. (She’d developed the habit of sleeping topless during the summer. Even now that they were in a properly air conditioned house, she refused to give the habit up. Not that Kaito objected.)

She didn’t like waking up alone.

Of course Meiko wasn’t happy about this. The life Master had promised her had fallen through, and Master himself had failed her spectacularly when that happened. She’d spent the years before Kaito found her again having to be strong, having to rely on no one but herself.

Kaito was the only person she trusted. The only person she could let her guard down with. And now the same Master that had failed them both was sending something their way — their replacement, they knew, though they’d never admitted as much out loud — and Meiko had no choice but to accept that thing into the life they’d so carefully built for themselves. 

Even her own home wouldn’t be safe anymore. She’d have to be constantly on her guard. Just like she had been before they’d found each other.

_ You can’t just walk around topless when the new Vocaloid gets here, _ he wanted to tease, but Meiko didn’t need to hear that. The new Vocaloid wasn’t there yet. In that moment, it was just them.

“I had to pee, then I got thirsty.” He met Meiko on the other side of the kitchen. She accepted his hug, hugged him back.

He half-expected some kind of snarky comment, something about him being too old to have to use the bathroom during the night or about him being an entirely different kind of thirsty, what with her assets on full display. But she said none of that. She simply reprimanded him and led him back upstairs.

Once they were back in bed, she snuggled up against him, and that was how she stayed for the rest of the night, long after Kaito joined her in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! The prologue seemed a little short to tack this to, so here we are.
> 
> So for the three people who read my OliLen stories (I love y'all!), I've decided I wanna write more stuff about the rest of the Kyokotta household. And where better to start than with an origin story? There's still gonna be lots of OliLen, that won't change (though there won't be any in this fic), but I do wanna expand my horizons more. I've gathered all relevant fics into a series, and as I write more I'll add more to the series. I have so many ideas for way more than just that pairing and I can't wait to write them all!
> 
> To anyone else, reading the other fics in the series might help a little, but they're not necessary. Everything in this fic will make sense on its own. (Though I wouldn't complain if you read them anyway... we of the OliLen fandom are few. We need more shippers on deck.)
> 
> Anyway, thank y'all and please look forward to the next chapter!


	3. Arrival

The door clicked closed.

Once more, Hatsune Miku was alone.

She sighed, flopping back onto her futon. There’d been so much she wanted to tell Mr. Mumei about, starting with all of the new songs she’d been given that morning and how much she’d loved each one. Then she’d wanted to discuss all of the new things she was realizing she knew, because sure all of her knowledge had been installed in her, but she kept surprising herself with just how much knowledge that actually was. Oh, there was so much to talk about!

But she’d barely been able to mention the songs before he’d finished checking her vitals, bid her a good night, and left.

If she didn’t have someone to talk to, all of the words that she was forced to keep to herself would burst through her chest. It was only a matter of time.

If Mr. Mumei didn’t have time for her, maybe Mr. Tsumu would. Master would definitely listen to her, but he had already gone home several hours earlier, and she had no way to contact anyone outside of The Facility.

She pouted up at the ceiling. He could leave any time he wanted and go home. She didn’t have that luxury yet.

She’d thought fondly of The Facility for most of her life — all fifty-eight days of it. It was filled with kind people with her best interest in mind. They had given her her body, her voice, her mind. They nodded in approval and wrote notes onto clipboards each time she sang one of their songs or completed her intelligence tests or displayed how smooth her kanji strokes were. One month ago, they decided it was time to ease her into a more human lifestyle, so they carefully groomed her calf-length hair and gathered it into pigtails and swapped her clingy jumpsuit for a comfy one-piece cotton outfit, one to wear during the day and one to sleep in.

Learning to sleep. Now _that_ had been an adjustment. She was so used to simply letting her creators hook wires into her and press a few buttons to shut her down. Shutting _herself_ down was something that took intense concentration and an ability to empty the mind, and she was good at neither of those. And the futon. Oh, she’d hated the futon at first. It didn’t glow and hum like her pod. It didn’t make her feel safe.

But eventually, she figured out how to sleep like a human. She figured out how to walk and talk and write and eat like a human. What was all so and fascinating new quickly became routine.

And when the novelty of being alive wore off, the boredom set in.

So now the white walls and floors and ceiling of The Facility were… well, more like a prison than a home.

Catching herself dwelling on these negatives, she smiled, replacing the thoughts with happier ones. _Frowning and sighing doesn’t befit an idol,_ Master had told her, and she had to agree. Boredom left her feeling drained and it was a feeling she didn’t like. So she would just try not to be bored.

Besides, there were so many happy thoughts to think. She’d be going to her permanent home soon, after all! And she’d have two older, more experienced Vocaloids to greet her and coach her into a better version of herself. After all, an idol never stops improving.

Her mentors. Their names were Kaito and Meiko, Master had told her. They were talented and would have good advice for her, but they had lived out on their own for a time, away from the lifestyle a Vocaloid should have, and so they would probably have some unorthodox and even pessimistic outlooks. That was what Master had said, anyway.

Pessimism. Maybe that should have discouraged Miku. But if anything, it made her look forward to the 31st that much more. A few years of living like ordinary people had stolen their spark, she’d decided, made them forget that their very existence was marvelous and even miraculous. Maybe she could teach them as much as they taught her. Yeah. She’d remind them of their early days, when they’d been happy and successful, and that would set them back on the right path.

That was Miku’s ultimate goal. To change lives with her voice. To bring joy and love and happiness, the same kinds of feelings she felt when she’d first heard music. And who better to bring those feelings to first than her new mentors?

She puckered her lips and furrowed her brows. Mentors. That sounded so impersonal.

...How would they feel if she were to call them her brother and sister?

Kaito-nii-san and Meiko-nee-san. San or chan? Would it be impolite to jump right in with -chan? Chan sounded a lot better, felt better to say. But -san was customary and inoffensive. If she was going to use a nickname unprompted, the least she could do was be polite about it, just to be safe. But -chan sounded so much better…!

And this was how Hatsune Miku amused herself on the night of August 29th: pacing and hopping and rolling around her room, testing names for her mentors until her eyelids grew heavy and she slipped beneath her futon.

By the time she fell asleep, she still hadn’t decided.

~~~

“You should know this is completely unnecessary.”

“Oh, I know. That’s what’ll make it so nice, don’t you think?”

Meiko’s scowl expressed her disagreement more than words ever could.

If she’d really hated the idea so much, though, she wouldn’t have helped. And no amount of scowling would take back all the laughter they’d just shared and all of the flour they’d hurled at one another and the pride that had radiated through her as she placed the last layer on the top of the cake.

(Though Kaito almost wished the scowling _could_ take back the flour. As fun as it was, and as precious as Meiko looked dusted in the fluffy powder, cleaning it all up was going to be a pain.)

But now it was over, and the cake was finished, and Meiko scowled down at it and didn’t laugh anymore.

“What makes you think she’ll like mint chocolate anyway?” she asked, grabbing a cloth from one of the drawers and running it under the sink.

Kaito shrugged. The new arrival would be a teenager with “mint-colored hair”, so a childish chocolate cake with mint frosting seemed the most obvious choice.

If nothing else, maybe she’d appreciate the creativity.

Meiko’s scowl transformed into a smirk, sweet and sassy and very much _her,_ and Kaito forgot for a moment that anything was wrong. “Put it in the fridge, then get started on the floor. I’ll get the countertop and the siding.”

He did as he was told, then the two cleaned the kitchen in silence, solemn and suffocating.

While they were working on the cake, it was as if they had been transported back to their tiny and ill-equipped kitchen in Tokyo, baking and bantering as always. Meiko was back to her cheerful, if overworked, self, unbothered by anything but the flour stuck to her eyelashes and the egg yolks that wouldn’t separate from the whites without a fight. It really felt like nothing had changed. At least until Kaito piped the message at the top, a cheerful, teal-colored **ミクおかえり!** — “Welcome home, Miku!”. Then the illusion was popped, and they were back in a massive and empty house on the outskirts of a tiny town, preparing to wade back into territory they’d once vowed to abandon forever.

Kaito frowned down at the mop as he guided it over the laminate flooring. He knew how Meiko felt about all of this, and he knew where she was coming from, sure, but he did wish she’d just give it a chance. After all, they were being handsomely paid for their efforts. They'd have plenty to live comfortably long after their job was over, and by the time that money ran dry they'd at least have more opportunities. Besides, even if this Miku girl was insufferable, they had enough time and money right now to get away from her during their off hours.

And who knew? Maybe Master was right. Maybe she really _was_ mild-mannered and eager to learn. Maybe she'd see the warm greeting atop the cake and reveal herself to be a delightful and grateful person.

"What spawn of that snake could really be that innocent?" she said when he dared to voice the thought later, beating the dust from the blinds in the room they'd chosen for her. "You saw the way he talked about it. That bitch has him wrapped around its finger."

"Maybe we shouldn't be calling a minor a bitch," Kaito suggested gently. There wasn't a speck of dust left on the blinds, yet Meiko's assault continued.

With the cake done and the new arrival’s room prepared, there was little else to do but wait around. So that evening, they sprawled out on the couch and watched a marathon of some trashy reality show.

“...You’d think Master coulda sent us its measurements or something,” Meiko said as Suku and Yono fought over who Hare loved more. “It’s not gonna have a whole lot of clothes. Unless it comes with a stack of suitcases. And I doubt the outfit they send it in's gonna be too comfortable.”

Now Yono had thrown Suku to the ground by her ponytail. Kaito smiled, half at the spectacle and half at Meiko’s words. It was a start. “We could take her shopping once she’s settled in. That might also give us a chance to gauge what kind of person she really is.”

Meiko hummed, resigned.

They didn’t speak again until the episode was over — Hare loved neither, it turned out, but Suku claimed to be pregnant with his child. Of course, the marathon ended there, forcing them to wait another week to find out more.

Kaito laid his head in Meiko’s lap as he flipped through the channels for another show. He'd just decided on a Go tournament when she spoke again.

“Think we could still make a break for it?”

Kaito sighed. So much for progress. “We’d have to be quick about it. Catch a plane down to Okinawa. Change our names. Find work.”

“That’s only four things.”

“The name changing process would take a while. Then once that went through, we’d have to get our marriage certificate changed.”

“No, we’d leave that alone. That’s how Master tracked us down to begin with, remember?”

“Mm.”

The Go tournament wasn’t nearly as exciting, but they spent an hour on it anyway.

“...She’s not gonna be here until the afternoon,” Kaito finally said, lulled half to sleep by Meiko’s fingers in his hair. “And it’s just now getting dark. We could go out and do whatever, stay up late, then sleep in and get up right before she gets here."

Meiko removed her fingers so she could stretch her arms above her head. “I’m game. Let’s go to that yakisoba place. I don’t wanna put on anything fancy.”

“We could go check out that love hotel while we’re at it.”

“When I’m this bummed? In your dreams, champ.” Her words were discouraging, but she still laughed, just a little, so Kaito laughed too.

If Meiko had no intention of going into this with optimism, the least he could do was keep her happy until then.

And starting tomorrow, he’d be optimistic for both of them.

~~~

The man driving the car wasn’t one for conversation, either.

Miku certainly hoped Kaito-nii-san and Meiko-nee-san were different. If she had to go one more day without a good talk, she’d surely kill over.

(San, she’d ultimately decided. San was safest.)

The car slowed at a crosswalk, and a handful of young humans in matching shirts and skirts crossed in front of them, chatting happily with one another.

Miku smiled. That would be her soon, surrounded by friends and laughter and joy.

She stared out at the colorful storefronts as they drove on. She couldn’t wait to sing for them and hear what they thought of her voice. What did they sound like? Were their voices powerful and sweet like hers? Or were they deeper and more mature? She wanted to sing with them. Surely the three of them would make beautiful harmonies.

The thought warmed her to her core. She’d never sang with anyone before. She wished she could fling the door open and run the rest of the way there. She couldn’t wait a moment longer.

Luckily for her (and her legs, which were skinny and would have easily shattered if she jumped from a moving car), the shops were soon replaced with trees, and then, to her left, a mansion came into view. Her new home.

There wasn’t really a place for a car to pull in. The house was surrounded by grass and trees, and empty flower beds lined a thin walkway up to the door. The driver pulled into the grass, as close to the walkway as he could without running over one of the wooden flower beds, then he nodded to Miku.

She looked at him, then back out at the house. Right. It was time. All of those days of testing and boredom had led up to this moment.

She wished him a good day and climbed out onto the grass, waving as he backed out and drove off.

Then she was alone.

Turning back to the house, she gulped. Well. This was it. Just meters away was her new home and her new mentors and her new life. Something like a nervous excitement fluttered in her stomach, compelling her forward, past the empty frames and onto the walkway and towards the friendly-looking wooden door.

Her fingers rested on the handle. She straightened her tie and smoothed the pleats of her skirt with her free hand. Took a deep breath. Smiled her brightest smile.

She pressed her fingers down, and the door clicked open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting I randomly put a really decked-out love hotel in Kyokotta. I used it in one fic and haven't mentioned it since.
> 
> ...I've gotta remedy that.
> 
> Also, anyone got any suggestions for a better title? I'm not digging the title, but I can't think of anything better.


	4. Enter Miku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally posted this about two weeks ago, but it was rather rushed, so it was one of the weaker things I'd written, and given how weak my writing typically is, that's saying something. I've polished it up and changed bits and pieces, and I hope this version of the chapter is better! 
> 
> I'd like to have Chapter 5 up by next week (I'll be leaving the country next Thursday, so here's hoping I can finish it before then). If there's any ways I could improve, please don't hesitate to let me know!

The door clicked open.

Meiko’s heart dropped into her stomach, which was dreadfully empty.

“Last call,” she whispered. “Hashima’s got plenty of free real estate.”

“Yeah,” Kaito humored, “let’s make a cozy home for ourselves right next to the Stairway to Hell.”

Well, that still sounded more appealing than  _this._

Footsteps.

Meiko yanked a few times at her top to adjust it.

Master had given both of them new promotional outfits and insisted they wear them when greeting the new Vocaloid. 

 _“It’s important that she not feel out of place,”_ he’d said — as if this  _thing_ wasn’t already an intruder in  _their_ home. Indeed, Meiko had half a mind not to follow instructions, to just wear whatever the hell she wanted, but that thing would probably report her insubordination back to Master and if they got kicked out, they had nowhere to go, so what choice did they have?

If she didn’t think too hard about it, she liked her new outfit more than her original one. The old top zipped in the front and squeezed her breasts far too tightly, making it hard to breath. This one opened in the front, giving her chest plenty of room to breathe, and damn if she didn’t look good in it. Aside from some arm cuffs and a necklace, the rest was more or less the same — red skirt, brown boots. 

Kaito had poured compliments over her all morning, so that made it a little more bearable.

Kaito, now he’d gotten the short end of the stick. Never mind that it was the end of August and autumn weather had yet to move in, Master’s plans for him involved a long coat over a grey sweater and a long, blue scarf.

He’d cut the arms off of the sweater. Small though it was, Meiko was proud of the act of rebellion, though he denied that rebellion was his intention.

Now here they were, unable to choose their fate or even their clothes, mere moments away from the end of two blissful months of freedom.

“Hello?”

The voice that called from the entryway was light, childlike. Yup. It was here.

The footsteps began again, getting closer and closer to the living room.

Meiko gulped.

Beside her, a larger, warm hand slipped into hers, squeezed tightly.

Before Meiko had a chance to return the gesture, a head poked into the doorway.

It was unmistakable, alright. Its hair was a bright mint color, its matching eyes massive and painfully innocent-looking, like something straight from a shoujo series.

She felt a snarl creeping onto her face. But Kaito, whether he meant to or not, didn’t give it a chance to surface completely.

“Hatsune Miku!” he cheered, lifting the hand that wasn’t holding Meiko’s in greeting. “Welcome home!”

The thing in the doorway made a sound like a squeak, and then it came into full view.

Master — Master had dressed it up like a  _schoolgirl,_ tie and pleated skirt and all. But its silver shirt was sleeveless, and instead of brown or black shoes and high socks, it wore black platform boots that came up to its thighs. And its pigtails — that was a lot of hair, even in its updo it reached the thing’s knees — its pigtails were held in place by… floating cube things. They looked like they were floating, anyway. Maybe it was transparent plastic keeping it in place.

On its left arm was a bright red mark —  ** _01_** _._ Was it temporary, part of its costume, or had he seriously felt the need to brand it?

Kaito squeezed her hand again, harder.

Meiko forced herself to smile. Right. Master had probably planted a recording device behind this thing’s eyeballs. She couldn’t afford to show animosity.

“Hatsune.” She was sure her voice sounded strained, but being polite already took up most of her willpower, so oh well. “Welcome.”

The thing’s pink lips stretched into an open-mouthed smile, its thin eyebrows nearly lifting off its forehead, and it stood up straight with its heels together, hands clasped in front of it. Like a proper little Japanese schoolgirl.

Was Master entertaining a new fetish or something? This was just  _creepy._

“ _Sensei!_ ” it greeted back in its squeaky voice before bowing completely at the waist, long hair trailing the floor. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,  _sensei!_ ”

Yup. Master had a schoolgirl fetish. 

Meiko allowed herself to cringe before the new Vocaloid lifted back up in a single smooth motion.

One more squeeze of her hand, this one some mix of assuring and congratulatory.

“The pleasure is all ours.” Kaito’s words rolled forth in the exact same tone and grace with which he’d practiced them all morning. It was comforting to know that she wasn’t the only one playing a rehearsed role, at least. “We’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival.” 

Rather than launching into an introduction then, as he was supposed to at this point, he broke script.

“Well don’t just stand there.” Meiko blinked as he waved the new Vocaloid closer. What was he doing? “Come on! We’ll get the formalities out of the way and then we’ll eat! Do you like ramen? We made a lot of it! And not just the cheap stuff, we’re talking the real deal!”

Meiko’s stomach grumbled.

Kaito’s sudden drop in formality had startled the thing, she noticed now. Its shoulders had gone tense, its eyes had gone wide, and its smile had dropped into a lip-pursed expression of surprise. Suddenly Meiko didn’t care that he’d broken script. He’d managed to get a reaction out of it, and that was enough to make her smile.

“Yeah,” she said, hoping her tone sounded even enough, “come on! Don’t just stand there like a braindead robot!”

Kaito would have some words with her for that one later, but it was worth it.

Master’s new plaything recovered from the momentary shock and smiled again, obeying and taking its first step forward.

And completely missing the dropoff separating the hall from the living room.

The sound of a skull smacking into the hardwood should have been greatly amusing, given whose skull it was, but Meiko still found herself lurching forward, even without Kaito’s urging.

“Miku!” Kaito reached it before Meiko did, nearly sliding the rest of the way and rolling it over onto its back. “Miku, hey, are you alright?”

The thing held onto its forehead, face scrunched so hard Meiko thought it might collapse into its head. And at the corners of its eyes…

Were those… tears?

“I’m fine,” it said quickly, voice suddenly less than a breath. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

Red started to seep from between its fingers.

Meiko’s body acted before her mind did. It lead her to the drawer in the kitchen where the first aid kit was. She grabbed a rag for good measure and ran it under the tap for a few seconds, then she brought it and the kit back to where the injured android was now sitting up with Kaito’s help.

“Here.” She tossed the rag at it. “You’re gonna get blood everywhere.”

“But,” Kaito quickly added, opening the kit and rummaging around for what was needed, “we’ll clean it up if you do, no worries!”

The thing wiped its face and forehead clean and pressed the rag to its bump, and no sooner had it done that than did tears start to flow down its cheeks.

It was crying. It was bleeding and crying and shaking as Kaito coaxed the rag away so he could  properly clean the gash.

...Not quite the paragon of perfection Master had intended it to be, Meiko thought. Maybe it was a malfunction in that respect, too.

Meiko knelt beside it. Crying people made her feel so awkward, and she was  _not_ prepared to deal with a crying teenager for the rest of the day.

“Hey,” she said, taking the rag from Kaito and using the non-bloodied bits to wipe the tears away. “C’mon. Stop crying. You’re not the first person in the world to take a bad fall.”

It sniffled loudly, apologizing again.

“Meiko’s right,” Kaito said, tilting its head towards him so he could slap a few butterfly bandages on the cut. “I did the exact same thing when we first moved in. Just ask her. I cried for three hours straight and only recovered after I ate two whole tubs of ice cream. Right, Meiko?”

No, not right. Kaito  _had_ tripped over the dropoff a few times, but he’d never faceplanted, much less cried over it. But the fabricated story caused the thing to smile, even giggle a little.

“Really?” it asked, cutting its anime eyes over to Meiko.

Well. If it stopped the crying, then what was the harm?

“Oh yeah.” She sat back and let Kaito take care of the rest. “Have you ever seen a grown man demand kisses and ice cream over, y’know, an ibuprofen? Because I have.”

Its smile brightened, and the tears finally stopped falling. Meiko took the opportunity to wipe its cheeks once more.

“So don’t worry!” Kaito carefully placed a large bandage over the smaller ones holding the cut shut and smoothed it down. “There. We’ve got’cha all patched up, and now we’re gonna stuff you with ramen and cake. How’s that sound?”

It sniffed once more, wiping at its eyes and glancing around. Meiko froze when it made eye contact with her. Those big, teal eyes were tinged with red, watery yet… grateful?

With its hair in disarray, its forehead all bandaged up, and its eyes stinging with tears, the thing… almost looked human.

Cautiously, Meiko smiled. It smiled back.

It opened its mouth, and nothing could have prepared her for what it said next.

“Onee-chan and onii-chan are very kind. I could never thank you enough.”

If Meiko had hackles, they would have raised straight up.

“ _Onee-chan?_ ” The honorific tasted bitter on her tongue, sounded even worse. Immediately, the thing stopped smiling and winced.

God, it wasn’t gonna cry again, was it?

“I mean,” she corrected before that could happen — she was  _not_ in the mood to deal with a crying teenager. — “isn’t that what you call old people?”

She glanced up at Kaito, who, for some Godforsaken reason, was  _grinning._ “Aw, Meiko, that’s just what you call people you respect!” He looked back at it — at Miku — and ruffled its hair. “We never did finish the formalities, did we? I’m Shion Kaito. But if you want, you can call me onii-chan.”

No tears fell. Miku smiled, then looked back to Meiko.

And had the audacity to stop smiling.

“Shion Meiko.” She stood back up and dusted her backside off. Kaito’s eyes followed her, pleading, the pull of his lips small but encouraging. He looked just as much like a puppy as the new arrival did. 

Inwardly, she groaned. 

“...You can call me onee-chan if you want, I guess.” She held her hand out to Miku, who still wasn’t quite smiling again. The sooner they got off of the floor, the sooner they could eat. She wasn’t about to let the food they’d prepared go to waste.

Miku took her hand and dusted off in suit. “I don’t want you to feel old,” she — it? — said. “I could call you Shion-sensei.”

Shion-sensei. Ugh. That was even  _worse_ than onee-chan.

“I’ve got an idea.” Kaito was the last to stand, and he placed a hand on Miku’s shoulder once he was up. “What about Mei-chan? Miku, you’d still get to use -chan, and ‘Mei’ rhymes with ‘onee.’ Meiko, she’d still be using your name, and -chan would imply the young, sexy thing you are.”

Miku giggled, louder than she had earlier, and her cheeks flushed bright pink.

Meiko glared up at Kaito, who merely winked.

“Sure,” she relented. “Meiko or Mei-chan. Either works. Now let’s eat, or I’m gonna eat one of you.”

Dinner wasn’t quite as eventful as the introductions had been. With a cheerful “ _Itadakimasu!_ ”, Miku ate what she had been given, delicately, but quickly. Master had given her etiquette training. Meiko was sure of it.

At least until Miku finished her bowl and let out a belch. Not a delicate, cute burp, but the kind of loud and deep noise one would expect to hear from a man who weighed five times as much as the scraggly thing.

Meiko nearly spit out her mouthful. She caught Kaito doing the same.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Miku stuttered, face flushing as red as the fabric of Meiko’s clothes. “It’s just that I haven’t eaten since this morning and this is really very good and…”

Meiko couldn’t help it. She laughed uproariously, doubling over the table to steady herself, and the rest soon joined in. 

It was… odd, a third voice in the mix of an otherwise familiar sound. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

It would take some getting used to.

Once dinner was finished, the cake was brought forth. Miku gasped in delight and gawked over it and uttered praises and expressions of gratitude after every forkful.  Between the three of them, not a single noodle or crumb or scrap was left by the time their bellies were too full to continue.

She and Kaito took that time to brief her on the following day’s schedule: they would have breakfast at 8:00, then they would catch a train to Sapporo for some heavy-duty clothes shopping, followed by a stop at Kyokotta’s bedroom supply store so they could purchase a bedspread and some curtains of her choosing. And then even more gratitude spilled from Miku, as though she had been built for the sole purpose of saying “Thank you, thank you so much, I could never repay you, oh thank you so, so much”.

Meiko stood to stretch her stiff limbs — how long had they been sitting there? It hadn’t felt like long at all, but her body told her otherwise — and realized then that she was still wearing her boots.

For that matter, they were  _all_ in footwear.

“Alright, we’ve got the pomp and circumstance out of the way.” She sat back down and slipped the boots off and ah, yeah, that was much better. “Hatsune, you’ve been taught about manners and etiquette and all that crap, right? Starting from now, shoes go below the dropoff at the front door.” She stood then to demonstrate, leading the way to the front door and dropping the boots in their designated corner.

Miku sat carefully on the ledge, probably in fear of falling off of  _this_ one too, and unzipped her boots, placing them carefully next to each other. The towering legs fell limply over to one side.

Hmm. Three people sharing one little area for shoes. That was bound to get crowded. Maybe tomorrow they could get a shoe rack, Meiko thought, save on space that way.

“If you want,” she said, stretching again, “you’re free to walk around in socks, or we can get’chya a pair of slippers. I’d prefer you refrain from walking around barefoot, though. Don’t want prints tracking all over the house.”

“Yes, Mei-chan! I’ll get some socks tomorrow. If that’s alright.”

Meiko looked back at Miku, who was still seated, wiggling her bare toes. They were painted the same teal color as her fingernails.

“What,” she said, “they didn’t even send any socks with you?”

Miku looked up then, a stupor in her expression. “They… didn’t send me with anything.”

“...Not even socks?”

“They just dropped me off.”

Meiko groaned. Of all the cheap-ass, cost-cutting, self-centered  _bullshit_ Master had pulled…

She stalked past Kaito as he exited the kitchen, shoes in hand. She stomped up the stairs, ignoring both his and Miku’s inquiries into what was wrong. Stormed all the way up to hers and Kaito’s room on the third floor, all the way to the closet, where she tossed clothes to and fro until she found something that might work.

When she met the other two back at the doorway, they straightened up from a hunched position, as though they’d been gossiping in her absence, their gazes filled with questions and curiosity.

They looked almost alike like that. Not just in their stances and expressions, but even in their facial structures — Miku’s cheeks were fuller than Kaito’s, but her ears sat lower on her head, just as Kaito’s did, and her jawline followed the same downward slope, her chin coming to the same rounded point.

 _Wow,_ that was weird.

“Here.” She tossed the clothes she’d procured to Miku: one of Kaito’s shirts and a pair of her socks to wear to bed, and then one of her shorter dresses and a comfortable pair of wedges for tomorrow, along with a belt in case the dress was too loose in the waist. She’d grabbed a pair of her most recently laundered panties as well, and Miku could just re-wear the bra she had on now.

“If you need anything else, let me know.” And  _she’d_ be letting Master know exactly what she thought about him sending them a whole-ass person without even providing it a few basic necessities.

Necessities.

“Kaito,” she called over her shoulder, already making her way back to the stairs, “show her to her room. I’ll get some soap and some shampoo and a brush.”

Assuming they even possessed a brush that could accommodate that much hair. Meiko’s hair barely even came down to her shoulders, so she rarely needed more than a cheap comb, and Kaito’s was shorter than hers. And did they have enough shampoo, for that matter?

Towels. She’d need towels too. And a toothbrush. Some toothpaste as well.

“Master,” she grumbled beneath her breath as she gathered up half of the bathroom, “what the hell is your problem?”

Yes, she’d certainly be having some words with him. Some  _strong_ words, etiquette be damned.

~~~

“So?”

“So…?”

“What do you think? Not so bad after all, huh?”

Meiko  _hmph_ ed and leaned back against Kaito, pushing him further against the side of the tub. “Well, she didn’t even bring enough to last her one night, so she’s already a pain in the neck.”

“Don’t be so harsh, Mei-chan.” He walked his finger down her stomach and onto her thigh. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you actually like her.”

“Don’t you start with the ‘Mei-chan’ shit, too.”

“But it’s such a cute name!” He nuzzled his cheek into the top of her head, reveling in the discontented growl bubbling in her chest. “My sweet little Mei-chaaaaaaan~”

“Am I really your wife? ‘Cause you’re talking to me like I’m your kid.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Now  _you’re_ the one making it weird.”

Meiko sighed and closed her eyes, signalling that she was done talking about it.

For the time being, Kaito let her have her silence.

Today hadn’t gone nearly as badly as he’d feared it would. Meiko had at first played her part perfectly — sans that little  _brainless robot_ quip,  _that_ was just uncalled for — but when Miku suffered her fall, Meiko had helped, even went along with his little story to make her smile. She’d been relaxed at dinner, didn’t seem that bothered by Miku’s conversation, and had even gathered supplies for her unprompted.

And, at some point, she’d stopped referring to her as an  _it._ Kaito wasn’t sure if she was aware of it, but he decided not to point it out, lest she start it up again just to spite him.

“She’s not bad,” Meiko said at last. “Not as bad as I thought she’d be.”

Kaito hummed and pulled her closer. “And it only took her bleeding all over the place and bawling her eyes out for you to say that.”

Meiko nudged her elbow into his rib cage. He laughed again, and she grumbled again, and he sank a little lower into the tub, enjoying the warmth of the water and his Meiko.

As much as he hated to admit it, maybe that little accident had been necessary. They’d only lived on their own for two years. But in those two years, Meiko so completely shed her old self that she’d begun to forget that she wasn’t human, that Vocaloids weren’t perfectly polished robots who couldn’t just as easily suffer misfortune as she had.

Miku was no different from them, in that respect. Kaito still wasn’t sure exactly what kind of person she was. But he was reluctant to think she had any ill or hidden intent.

Because in her optimism, in her spark, in her unbridled joy… she was identical to who Meiko used to be.

“You’re thinking,” Meiko of the present day said, looking back at him over her shoulder. “I can hear the wheels turning.”

She had been through so much, this woman with merlot eyes, and she’d changed. The Meiko he’d found in that small park in Tokyo was different from the Meiko he knew in the Facility, jaded and saddened and no longer cheered by song. He loved her just as much as he loved the old Meiko, and he continued to love her more and more each day. But she’d been a victim of circumstances that had stripped her innocence from her before she was ready to give it up, and that was something she carried with her even now.

In similar circumstances, who was to say Miku would be any different? She was like them, after all: an artificial soul in a lab-grown body, cast into a world that just wasn’t fair.

Meiko had survived her circumstances. Whether or not Miku could, Kaito didn’t want to know. So what if he still didn’t know the girl very well? He wanted to protect her, protect her like he hadn’t been able to do for Meiko. And if that decision came back to bite him, well, so be it.

He kissed Meiko’s temple, smiling against her skin. “I’m really proud of you,” he said, and he kept it at that.

~~~

After the excitement the day had brought, Miku had been fully prepared to stay up all night long, eagerly pacing her room and exploring her new surroundings and anxiously waiting for eight o’clock so that her adventure could continue.

Now, though, she felt heavier than she had in her whole two months of life. It was all she could do to shower and pull on the night clothes she’d been given.

Per Kaito’s instructions, she’d removed her bandage to wash the cut while showering. She winced as she patted it dry. It was still tender, but it didn’t hurt nearly as badly. Tearing open the new bandage, she stood before the bathroom mirror and pulled her bangs back so that she could place it.

Aside from a nasty purple bruise, the cut itself wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. The gentle agitation she’d subjected it to hadn’t reopened it. Kaito had done a spectacular job in patching it.

_Onii-chan._

A rush of heat overcame her face, strong enough to force her eyes away from her reflection.

That had been so humiliating. She’d been determined to call them onii- _san,_ onee- _san,_ and then only upon request at the end of the night. And there she’d gone and bled all over the place and caused trouble for them and then just let the  _-chan_ s slip out.

But it had worked out, hadn’t it?

She looked back into the mirror. Relaxed her face so the bandage would go on smoothly.

Onii-chan was very kind and open. He was like her in that respect. He wore his heart on his sleeve and revealed his secrets just to see her smile. Onee—  _Mei-_ chan, on the other hand, was more of a mystery, one that Miku felt hopeless in unraveling. She didn’t say as many honeyed words, and she even came across as… well, rather gruff, really.

Miku had been convinced it was because of her. Because she’d messed up so badly.

 _“That’s not it at all!”_ onii-chan had assured her when she asked, while they waited for Mei-chan to finish gathering toiletries.  _“Meiko — y’see, Mei-chan’s just got a different way of communicating, that’s all. You didn’t do anything wrong.”_

Miku smoothed her bandage out, letting her bangs flop back into place over it. They hid the bump perfectly.

Master had said that the two spent some years living as humans. Miku remembered now: she’d been warned that they would be pessimistic, maybe even harsh, and she’d promised herself she would help them change for the better.

Was that it? The reason for Mei-chan’s behavior? Perhaps Kaito had never let the human world get him down. Perhaps the same couldn’t be said for Meiko.

And… Miku could change that. She  _would_ change that.

But not tonight. Tonight, she was struggling to keep her eyes open, so she shut off all the lights and crawled into her bed.

This bed was much better than her futon. It was large and plush, and while the blanket was thin, she knew she could get another one tomorrow, one that swallowed her completely.

Maybe she could get a night light and a little machine that made humming noises. She still missed her pod.

Pod or no, exhaustion and a full belly lulled her into a deep slumber, one filled with colorful and cheerful dreams. 

It never once occurred to her that none of them had sung.


End file.
